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Multiplying the Power of Your Mathematics Instruction Using the California ELA/ELD Framework

According to the 2014 California Language Census, 1,392,363 English Language Learners constitute 22.3 percent of the student population in the state.

Language and mathematics are typically considered separate content areas. But the new California English Language Development/English Language Arts Framework encourages teachers to consider the language of mathematics and the ways in which students’ language assets — the language they bring with them into the classroom — can be leveraged for learning.

With this asset stance, teachers can support English learners as the students “code-switch” from informal language to academic language. For example, Figure 9.12 of the ELD/ELA Framework suggests “New Ways to Talk About Language,” which encourages teachers to focus less on correcting language and more on how language works in different settings.

Figure 9.12. New Ways of Talking About Language

Instead of

Try this

Thinking in terms of

proper or improper

good or bad

See language as

appropriate or inappropriate

effective or ineffective in a specific setting

Talking about grammar as

right or wrong

correct or incorrect

Talk about grammar as

patterns​

how language varies by setting and situation

Thinking that students

make mistakes or errors

have problems with plurals, possessives, tense, etc.

"left off" an -s, -'s, -ed

See students as

following the language patterns of their home language or home varieties of English

using grammatical patterns or vocabulary that is different from Standard English

Saying to students

"should be," "are supposed to," "need to correct"

Invite students

to code-switch (choose the type of language appropriate for the setting and situation​)

Providing explicit linguistic supports, like those in Figure 9.12, is key to promoting a safe learning environment while concurrently valuing students’ language resources. One way to provide supports is by encouraging students to write or verbalize their explanations of how they solve mathematics problems, and then, rather than correcting students’ grammar, using what the students provide as information to formatively assess the students’ thinking. Teachers might ask, for example, “When you wrote ______, did you mean ______?”

Teachers can also integrate ELD strategies with the Common Core State Standards for Mathematical Practice by having students collaborate and produce evidence when problem solving. For example, the teacher might present an example of an incorrect solution for a mathematical problem and ask students to provide an explanation of how someone might arrive at this solution and cite evidence to explain the reasoning behind the incorrect answer.

Pedagogical practices highlighted by the California ELD Standards and ELA/ELD Framework can guide teachers toward integrating literacy and mathematics instruction to address both the mathematics content and language needs of English learners.